The Puppy, Special Puppy and Novice Dog/Novice Handler Tests were held by kind permission of Mrs C Earnshaw. The judges were the landowner Charlotte Earnshaw, and Paul Truby. We were concerned that the weather might be too hot, especially as there was only limited shade, but on the day the weather co-operated with cloud cover keeping it comfortable for the dogs, and only one short sharp shower in the afternoon.
In the morning, the Special Puppy and Novice Dog/Novice Handlers attempted four tests. Test One was a two dog walk-up with a mark behind followed by a blind in front. Test Two was a mark over a dry ditch with cover in it so that the fall was out of sight. Test Three was a mark followed by a blind over a shallow reed lined river. Test Four was a hunting exercise in a small copse where the dogs were sent to find a blind in the corner of the wood before being turned to collect a memory mark over a small fence out of the wood into the field.
Special Puppy Awards
| Position | Name | Dog Breed/Sex | Dog Name |
|---|
| 1st |
Miss C Thomas |
GR D |
Roughbeat Melchoir |
| 2nd |
Miss M Robertson |
Lab B |
Cynhinfa Orlagh of Downfarm |
| 3rd |
Mrs J McHugh |
Lab B |
Haregrain Aisla of Bittenam |
| 4th |
Mrs C Morrissey |
Lab B |
Loisaba Labradorite |
Novice Dog / Novice Handler Awards
| Position | Name | Dog Breed/Sex | Dog Name |
|---|
| 1st |
Mr A Murdin |
Lab B |
Under and Over |
| 2nd |
Mr M Newnes |
Lab B |
Saunders Roe Princess |
| 3rd |
Mrs E Giblin |
Lab B |
Vashti Valentine |
| 4th |
Ms J Burnett |
Lab D |
Haydonwood Mister Sanchez |
After an excellent lunch prepared by Clare Baker, the Puppies were put through their paces on simplified versions of the morning's tests. Test One was a two dog walk-up with marks in front and behind. Test Two was a shortened version of the mark over the ditch. Test Three was again over the river; this time a single mark but with two dogs sat up together to assess steadiness, which was generally excellent. Finally, the hunting exercise in the wood involved retrieving two blinds from the same area, but without any jumping required. The standard was high, with the top two dogs only dropping one point each, which meant that a run off, involving a long mark into cover, was needed to separate them.
Puppy Awards
| Position | Name | Dog Breed/Sex | Dog Name |
|---|
| 1st |
Mr A Phillips |
GR D |
Castlemans Soul Man |
| 2nd |
Miss M Cox |
Lab D |
Manormynd Vision of Wickmoor |
| 3rd |
Mr P Blount |
GR D |
Hanwoodgold Archie |
| 4th |
Mr P Green |
Lab D |
Fordbank Oaksey |
In order to run these events we need stewards, dummy throwers, caterers and people to sell raffle tickets and do the administration relating to the running of the day. On this occasion, whether it was the time of year when members are on holiday or because the new venue was further north than usual, it was a struggle to find helpers. However, the committee (and wives) rallied round to ensure that the day went ahead. A special thank you to Glenn Lambert, who was such an excellent dummy thrower that he is going to be in great demand!